Anna Kennedy OBE supports Bring Stephen Home campaign during radio slot

02 Aug Anna Kennedy OBE supports Bring Stephen Home campaign during radio slot

Next week Anna Kennedy OBE will be chatting to a mother battling to get her son Stephen home.

Leo Andrade’s son Stephen is in his early 20’s and detained in an assessment and treatment unit (ATU) in Clacton-on-Sea .

Anna over the years has read about Leo’s Bring Stephen Home campaign. It appeared to be successful at one point however, Leo was told her son Stephen was being moved to a unit closer to her home but then his psychiatrist advised against it.

Islington social services, care provider Islington CCG, and NHS England (NHSE) are working on Stephen’s case, and finally have agreed to fund a house where Stephen could live with 24-hour care.

After a wait of five-and-a-half years, Leo shares with Anna that she was expecting her son to be moved in November last year . This did not  happen since problems arose with adapting the home. The date was then pencilled in for May and again this did not happen. Leo is waiting again to hear a new date.

Leo tells her story to Anna in her interview on Women’s Radio Station next week. Leo feels very let down and it is increasingly difficult when she visits her son and he begs her to go home. In a roller coaster emotional interview Leo shares ‘It breaks my heart.’

“ At the ATU he is on eight anti-psychotic medications and regularly self harms.The drugs are destroying him. You can’t cure autism – it’s not like he has cancer Stephen has not improved in fact Stephen has regressed badly. He’s self harming is horrendous.’

It has now been 2 years since Leo was given a discharge date, yet he is still in the ATU.

Islington Council and the CCG issued a joint statement saying: “We are working with the NCL Transforming Care Programme team and NHS England to make arrangements for Stephen to move into his own home as soon as is safely possible. The extent and complexity of the adaptations required are much greater than first estimated. All parties are committed to arranging the significant capital investment.”

NHS England said it had agreed funding for a contribution towards the adaptations

Anna has bi weekly sessions on Womens Radio Station talking all things autism and chats to guests on various topics within the autism world on each of her shows. Anna’s next programme will be aired on Monday at 3pm.